The committee received a progress briefing on the reform of the United Nations. The committee was briefed by Mr M Traore, former Speaker of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, and Deputy Chair of the Inter- Parliamentary Committee of the West African Economic and Monetary Union as well as Mr N Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs. A report from the Advisory Group visit to Viet Nam to assess the One UN reform process in that country was also received. The report of the Advisory Group called on all parliaments to play a more dynamic role in the design, implementation and oversight of national development plans, as well as the upstream planning of the national budget. The need for a coherent approach to aid delivery at the national level was underscored as a tool to ensure greater effectiveness, transparency and accountability of United Nations operations.